Mold at Costa, MBMS raise questions about campus health issues

Greta Nerad

News Editor

With the recent asbestos incident yet to be resolved, a new health issue has arisen within the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. The infestation of mold has plagued classrooms, forcing teachers to relocate and it is not limited to just one campus. The relocation of classes has been an inconvenience to staff and students, but the district’s failure to tackle the issue in a timely manner endangers everyone on campus as they are continually exposed.

Both Mira Costa High School and Manhattan Beach Middle School have serious mold infes- tation issues, causing the evacuation of about 15 classes between the two campuses. Different types of mold have been found, including Stachybotrys, commonly known as black mold. Acoording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure can have seriously adverse effects to the respiratory system, including chronic coughing, sneezing, irritation to the eyes, nasal issues, rashes, fatigue and headaches. Prolonged exposure leads to further issues like nausea, vomiting and bleeding in the lungs and nose.

At the MBUSD school board meeting on Oct. 3, several teachers, parents and counselors from within the district voiced their complaints and concerns to the board. They explained that many classrooms have tested for unac- ceptable levels of mold, described the health effects that have occured in themselves and their children, talked about the inconvenient closures of classrooms and begged the board to be present on the campuses and make changes.

Lack of stability in continuously moving classrooms has prevented students from adjusting back into school life. Additionally, there have been closures of bathrooms and staff workrooms with no notice, leaving teachers unable to prepare. Teachers should be alerted of any and all closures that affect their workday.

The district has yet to find a safe alternative to the infested classrooms, and continues to endangering staff and students. Various teachers were relocated to new rooms, which in some cases, later tested positive, MBMS Humanities Teacher Jeff Lee said at the board meeting. Students should not be left coughing and sneezing because of a toxic school environment and the irresponsibility of the district and maintenance staff.

MBUSD has not been timely in granting testing requests from teachers and keeping teachers aware and informed. Teachers should be well-informed about work being done in their classrooms where they are potentially exposed to mold for hours each day.

Mold complaints within MBUSD schools date back to 2011, yet minimal action has been taken to remediate the issue since. Had the district been proactive in removing the mold, the problem would not be so widespread and expensive to clean. While clean up costs will be high for an issue that has gotten so pervasive, it is in everyone’s best interest to fix the issue as soon as possible. Less than two months into the school year, there have already been numerous health issues to address, and MBUSD must start valuing student and staff safety on campus.

In many cases only visible mold was removed from the sites, leaving remaining mold to grow and spread. Thorough and immediate cleanup is absolutely necessary to keep the issue from getting even worse, so training the maintenance staff to properly deal with mold is important.

There have been alarming absences from MBUSD administrators and school board members to fix the issue and offer support. Students and teachers are forced to face the dangers that are present on campus due to the district irresponsibility and extreme negligence.

The lack of urgency by the district shows glaring disregard for the health of everyone who steps foot on either campus. For a district that claims to value social-emotional wellness of staff and students, there is not enough being done to keep the cam- pus healthy and happy. Students seeking stability in a school environment instead face constant changes and fear of dangerous exposure, resulting in low morale and loss of faith in MBUSD to act in the students’ best interests. The district needs to lead by example and train staff members to solve problems, instead of covering them up.